COLLABORATION

BRINGING IT ALL HOME

Nonagenarian architect Gerald Luss gives input on a collaborative design exhibition staged in his former home.

By Rachel Gallaher Photographed by Michael Biondo

ARCHITECT GERALD LUSS IS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS DESIGN OF THE INTERIORS OF NEW YORK’S TIME & LIFE BUILDING—which achieved cultural-icon status after being used as the setting for AMC’s fictional television series Mad Men—but it is his first freestanding architectural project, a house in Ossining, New York, that is bringing him a wave of late-in-life headlines. The house, which Luss built for himself and his family in 1955 (they no longer live there), is the current site of At The Luss House: Blum & Poe, Mendes Wood DM, and Object & Thing, a collaborative exhibition featuring works by international artists and designers. Organized by art galleries Blum & Poe and Mendes Wood DM, along with art-and-design-fair platform Object & Thing, the showcase follows in the footsteps of last year’s At The Noyes House, an exhibition in New Canaan, Connecticut, that used midcentury architect Eliot Noyes’ house to display work from contemporary artists. »

FROM TOP: At The Luss House: Blum & Poe, Mendes Wood DM, and Object & Thing. Works pictured [left to right on wall]: Lucas Arruda, Untitled (from the Deserto-Modelo series) (2020); Matt Connors, Short Tom (Tuned) (2012); [foreground]: Green River Project LLC, Aluminum Round Table and Aluminum Chair (2021); micaceous clay vessels by Johnny Ortiz (2021); glass vessels by Ritsue Mishima (2007–2012); [background]: Ritsue Mishima, Lemuria (2018); Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Systemic Grid 124 (Window) (2019); Green River Project LLC, Aluminum and Leather Lounge Chair (2021). Architect and designer Gerald Luss.

Works pictured [left to right]: Alma Allen, Not Yet Titled (2020); Marina Perez Simão, Untitled (2021); Kiva Motnyk, Afternoon Light - Multi (2021).

“I BELIEVE THAT THE ARTISTS SENSED THAT THE RATIONALE OF THE ARCHITECTURE HAD FOCUSED ON INTERACTIONS BETWEEN HUMANS INHABITING THE SPACE AND NOT OVERRIDING THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL PREFERENCES. THE WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION WERE INTENDED TO PREDOMINATE THE ARCHITECTURE.”

—GERALD LUSS, ARCHITECT

“Once again, we’re putting art and design in a wonderful dialogue with the architecture,” says Abby Bangser, founder of Object & Thing. “This time, however, the timecapsule element of the Noyes House doesn’t exist. There will be pieces of Gerald’s work, but the house won’t be outfitted with his furnishings or things, so it will feel more like a gallery-style presentation.”

Luss, who turns 95 in October, has six of his own designs installed in the show: a chaise lounge from the 1950s, a 12-foot-long sofa originally designed for the house, a glass coffee table, and three clocks.

“It is gratifying that the organizers selected my first architectural project as a metaphorical easel for the 21stcentury contemporary artworks,” Luss says. “The inclusion of some of my early midcentury furniture designs and three current timepieces furthers that gratification.”

According to Bangser, the Luss house was in excellent shape, and other than cleaning and some fresh paint, required little intervention. Originally built from prefabricated industrial components put together on a structural system Luss designed,

TOP: A timepiece designed by Gerald Luss. BOTTOM: Works pictured [left to right]: Gerald Luss, Chaise for Lehigh Furniture Company (c. 1950s); Eddie Martinez, Ideal Location (2021); Kiva Motnyk, Botanic Study - Indigo (2021). the house has handcrafted interior details such as built-in shelving and cabinetry, and exposed planks and paneling throughout that comprise a mix of woods including cedar, cherry, Douglas fir, and walnut. Large glass windows facilitate a visual connection to the surrounding landscape—a result of Luss constructing and staying in a treehouse on the property during parts of the design phase to better experience the land’s potential.

“The house is magical,” Bangser says. “It provides a wonderful connection between indoor and outdoor space—when you’re standing in the parlor, you almost feel like you’re floating in trees. Gerald designed this as his family’s home, so he put a lot of thought, consideration, and passion into it, and it shows.”

The exhibition includes works from 18 artists, some of whom were also shown at the Noyes House last year (Alma Allen, Lucas Arruda, Green River Project LLC, Mimi Lauter, Johnny Ortiz, Paulo Nazareth, Frances Palmer, and Daniel Steegmann Mangrané). Others are new to working with the organizers, such as Japan-based Yoichi Shiraishi, whose work makes its U.S. debut here. The show encompasses paintings, sculpture, ceramics, glasswork, furniture, and textiles. New Mexico–based chef and artist Johnny Ortiz, who founded a dinner series called Shed in celebration of New Mexican cultural traditions, contributed a set of his hand-dug clay pots.

“All of the works are abstract; there are no figures present,” Bangser says of the assembled work. “We tried to choose artists who have that similar sensitivity to nature that the house has. Ultimately, we hope to show that there are different, often more accessible, ways to look at art and design that we aren’t used to. History doesn’t have to be locked away in books or archives . . . it might be just down the street in a home in your own neighborhood.”

At the Luss House runs through July 24, 2021. h